There are over 300 billion emails being sent every single day. Consumers are constantly being bombarded with promos, spam, and content that is lacking an impact. Despite being a vital part of any marketing strategy, the main problem with email marketing and communication is that it often feels too impersonal and fails to engage customers in a meaningful way that provides value. As businesses who are attempting to initiate the conversation, we need to be reaching out to customers on platforms that they are comfortable using and makes them feel like there is sincere intent behind the message. We need to give them the opportunity to respond and continue the conversation on their own terms. Having a 1-on-1 conversation with a potential customer can be the difference between a successful conversion or a poor brand perception.
Two-way text communication and chat tools have revolutionized business practices with clients and is only continuing to improve customer relations. They have opened an incredibly accessible and convenient space where customers are able to ask questions, share their thoughts, and voice their concerns; allowing them to engage. What’s more, with the advancements in automation and artificial intelligence, they have instantaneous access to information to answer all their queries. This growing popularity of two-way communication with customers has given rise to the concept of conversational care - Improving the customer experience through social interactions between your company and your customers. Not only are customers able to engage with conversational agents through text, but also through a growing number of web chats on websites, mobile chat apps and social media messaging functions. These tools not only improve the timeliness of responses, but also provide round the clock support, even when you don't have customer service reps working 24/7.
When chat bot technology is mentioned, oftentimes the nightmares of arrhythmic chat conversations come rushing back. Bots that provided unhelpful responses that were nowhere near answering the questions asked. The painstaking amount of time that it took just to try and connect with a real person. And not to mention, the robotic sounding voice with the most inhuman patterns that came from the other side of the phone line. Well, the good news is that those days are now behind us. Automation and conversational AI has now achieved the ability of engaging seamlessly in two-way communication through the use of Natural Language Processing. Even for the more difficult customer questions, these chat bots have become so adept that if they don't know the answer, they can send you links or connect you to a live customer service provider who can. From replicating human speech to accessing banks of information to find and supply the answers to questions, AI-powered customer service through automated two-way text and two-way chat is the future of communication.
So, you may be wondering what exactly this means for customers? How is this better than texting with a real person who can simply answer your clients’ questions? And how is this beneficial for your company? It is all about convenient and instantaneous communication. 98% of text messages are read within three minutes of being sent and are typically responded to within 90 seconds of reading them. Automation has made it possible to stay connected with your clients 24/7, reducing the costly expense of hiring round the clock customer service teams. It also allows you as a company to have a singular space to store all your chat conversations and records with customers, which allows you to access their files in a much more streamlined manner. Additionally, two-way text allows for an ongoing chain of communication with customers and saves them time from having to access website chat bots. Customers can have their questions answered on their own schedule. Another advantage to text messaging is that it is seen as a much more intimate form of communicating; and because of this, companies are able to form and strengthen the relations they have with clients by sending personalized reminders, alerts, and notifications.
Text messaging is a skill that individuals of all demographics are becoming comfortable with, especially with the younger generations that are going to grow into our future target demographics. It is feasible, adaptable, and most importantly, its engaging. Utilizing a company that can help you add AI powered chat bots and automated chat features into your two-way SMS and chat communications will allow your company to take it another step further, and another step closer towards having active communication from your customers and higher customer satisfaction.
As technology continues to evolve, there is no doubt that conversational AI and conversational messaging will continue to play a major role in business communications. As consumers become more accustomed to receiving texts at any given moment, businesses must be prepared to provide a seamless experience through conversational interaction. With the right tools, businesses can not only manage customer expectations, but also keep up with the changing landscape and even set themselves apart from competitors.